Ramses' Reconstructed Face
And parashat Bo
There is an old gag on the Internet about researchers at some prestigious university reconstructing various faces. For instance, Princeton University and Adam:
where it is really Vin Diesel. Or Exeter University and Moses:
Who knew that Moshe Rabbenu looked like Hulk Hogan. Obviously, the scientists wouldn’t have anything from which to work, such as a corpse, or DNA. I suppose they could point to textual descriptions, or try to work backwards from DNA of people in the region. But it doesn’t pass the smell test.
Meanwhile, there was a recent news article that scientists at the Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University had reconstructed what Ramses II, commonly known as Ramses the Great, the possible pharaoh of the Exodus.
Here, they have a skeletal structure from which to work.
In parashat Bo, Pharaoh and Moshe have this exchange (Shemot 10:29):
וַיֹּֽאמֶר־ל֥וֹ פַרְעֹ֖ה לֵ֣ךְ מֵעָלָ֑י הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֗ אַל־תֹּ֙סֶף֙ רְא֣וֹת פָּנַ֔י כִּ֗י בְּי֛וֹם רְאֹתְךָ֥ פָנַ֖י תָּמֽוּת׃
Pharaoh said to him, “Be gone from me! Take care not to see me again, for the moment you look upon my face you shall die.”
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֖ה כֵּ֣ן דִּבַּ֑רְתָּ לֹא־אֹסִ֥ף ע֖וֹד רְא֥וֹת פָּנֶֽיךָ׃
And Moses replied, “You have spoken rightly. I shall not see your face again!”
Depending on how you date the Exodus, Ramses II seems like a good candidate. Not only the name match to the cities of Pitom and Ramses. But also, based on personality and biography. Early on, he built cities and monuments, and waged numerous battles to recapture territory and secure Egypt’s borders. He fought the Hittites at Kadesh and the result was a draw. However, following the precedent of other Pharaohs to hide defeats, this was depicted as a victory. (This is also why we wouldn’t expect to see yetziat mitzrayim depicted in Egyptian records.) He initially refused a treaty but eventually a treaty was made. He outlived many of his sons, including his firstborn, Amun-her-khepeshef. From what I’ve heard (but not confirmed or read myself, sorry), after the death of his sons, he had a change in character and no longer waged war, made this peace treaty. So maybe.
So this leads to the halachic question. Would Moshe be allowed to see this facial reconstruction, or would this violate his word?
As we finish masechet Nedarim today, I’m reminding of a story involving Rabbi Baruch Epstein, the Torah Temimah1 — details are fuzzy, so please help me out in the comment section — of someone who vowed never to see his relative again. The relative died, and he wanted to know if he could go to him then. The Netziv was asked the question, and his erudite nephew, the Torah Temimah suggested a resolution based on another set of pesukim. Namely, in Beshalach, Shemot 13:14, Moshe says:
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶל־הָעָם֮ אַל־תִּירָ֒אוּ֒ הִֽתְיַצְּב֗וּ וּרְאוּ֙ אֶת־יְשׁוּעַ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם כִּ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר רְאִיתֶ֤ם אֶת־מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם לֹ֥א תֹסִ֛פוּ לִרְאֹתָ֥ם ע֖וֹד עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃
But Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which Hashem will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.
and yet, in Shemot 14:30:
וַיּ֨וֹשַׁע יְהֹוָ֜ה בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֛וּא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרָ֑יִם וַיַּ֤רְא יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־מִצְרַ֔יִם מֵ֖ת עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיָּֽם׃
Thus Hashem delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea.
We thus see that seeing someone after they are dead doesn’t count.
What about a typical Jew, seeing the face of a wicked person. Does an AI reconstruction also count there? Perhaps not. Also — despite them reconstructing from a physical mummy, maybe we can point to the midrash that the king of Ninveh was none other than the Pharaoh of Egypt. If so, he did teshuva!
Thanks to Joshua Skootsky for helping me fill in some of the details.